Stopwatch
by tuttifluties
Summary: Ryou keeps track of his abuses from Bakura and from school and compares it to an average. Every night before sleeping, he stops his mental stopwatch and analyses his day. Discontinued but I'll most likely go back to it soon.
1. Chapter 1

Day 1

He laughed as he raised the knife again. This time, it came down on my chest. Crimson flowed and stained the striped shirt I wore thoroughly. I gasped and bent over. Even though the knife left my skin, I could still feel it pierce through.

I curled up and hoped that I could just die and escape all this misery. But I couldn't. He prolonged my suffering by stopping. He just wouldn't let me die.

One last kick in the guts was enough to knock me out. Dark…

When I did regain consciousness, the pain was worse. Despite all that, I got up with great difficulty to wash and change. Somehow, I managed to not fall down the stairs. Woohoo. Go me.

The dried blood was easy to wash off but my clothes were a different story. Oh well. I'll worry about that later. Carefully, I washed the cuts with a damp cloth and bandaged it as best as I could. Aspirin helped a lot too.

Fresh scents greeted me as I put on my school uniform. It could get worse from this point on but I'm used to it.

School. Long, boring day filled with useless lessons. No beatings. Lucky me.

I was greeted home graciously by a punch to the face. That's going to leave a mark.

When I finally reached the Promised Land, my bedroom, I plopped down and closed my eyes without thinking much. But I did remember to count:

Day 1

Punches-24

Kicks-15

Knife slashes-11

School beatings-0

Average

Punches-approximately 30

Kicks-15

Knife slashes-10

School beatings-3

Finally, I analysed:

Punches- below average

Kicks-exact

Knife slashes-slightly above average

School beatings-way below average

So to sum it up, today was a good day.


	2. Chapter 2

Day 2

It was a Wednesday. I sighed with relief; I'm finally halfway through the school week. It seemed to take much longer than it should. I wonder why?

Unwillingly, I shook off the covers and the chilly atmosphere bit me hard. Using all of my willpower, I stepped off the bed and quickly strolled to the washroom to take a shower. Thank goodness there was actually hot water today.

As much as I desired to stay under the showerhead and soak, I did not however, desire to be beaten up this morning by a certain someone who would have to take a cold shower. Although, I admit that these beatings do wake me up on "those kind of days."

I tiptoed soundlessly thanks to my efforts to learn which areas creak. I didn't bother to get much breakfast even though I really need it. People tell me I'm so thin, they could probably snap me like a pencil. As if they know what I deal with everyday!

A grabbed my bag and headed out. I didn't bother to be quiet with the door. It's not like he would catch up to me.

On my usual path to school, I met someone usual. I never learned his name but all I know is that he likes picking on people, especially certain small, skinny albinos who is friends with a certain king of games. Unfortunately, yours truly fits that description.

I was beaten up pretty bad but I've had worse. I continued on to school. Others stared at my torn clothing and scratches.

This event repeated after school on the way home by the same guy.

When I reached the house and opened the door, _he_ was absent. Thank God. I ran up to my room and hoped that he wouldn't come back too soon. And he didn't.

Again, I counted,

**Day 2:**

Punches-32

Kicks-13

Knife slashes-0 (without Bakura, there were nobody else with knives)

School beatings: 2

**Averages:**

Punches-approximately 30

Kicks-15

Knife slashes-10

School beating-3

I analysed:

Punches-above average

Kicks-Slightly below

Knife slashes-none (this is great! Usually knives are the worst)

School beatings-one below average

Conclusion: a pretty good day.


	3. Chapter 3

Day 3

I awoke to a cloudy, grey blanketed sky. It was going to rain pretty soon. I made a small reminder to myself to remember an umbrella.

Again, I tried to get out of bed quietly.

_Creeeak__…_

With my hands covering my gasp, I awaited the tossing and turning of my significant other. It didn't come. Hopefully that meant he didn't wake up.

What I thought was pretty strange was the fact that he didn't return before I went to sleep last night. I knew that because I'm a very light sleeper and he isn't the most subtle when he's tired. I knew the slyness that he possesses and unleashes. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think he came back at all. Let me check.

Hurrying downstairs, I noticed that his shoes and his coat were still gone.

_That is weird. He__'s never been absent for this long before. Wait, why am I concerned again? I hate his guts for goodness sake! Still…_

I shook the thought aside and continued doing whatever I was doing before. Only now I could make as much noise as I wanted.

I sighed. It didn't seem right to me at all.

I didn't get beaten up at all at school either. That was great obviously, but it felt like a hollow joy. Yugi and the others seemed a little bit concerned but went on about their lives.

Coming home, his stuff was absent like I suspected. Headaches soon started and I took some more aspirin. It helped but there was still a glass shard stuck in the pit of my stomach.

As I lay in bed resting, I kept wondering why I was feeling ill. Was it because of him?

I groaned as the ache got worse.

_No way. I don__'t need him. He was always hurting me, its better that he's gone for awhile. It's finally giving me a break. Besides, he'll be back soon, I'm sure of it._

That little white lie eased the pain and I drifted far away, seeing endless dark… but someone was waiting in that dark, someone I knew. He smirked and was gone.

Some voice in the back corner of my head informed me that my nightmare was just beginning.

**Day 3****:**

Punches-0

Kicks-0

Knife slashes-0

School beatings-0

That's my best record so far, yet I feel nothing. I wonder why…


End file.
